Tuesday, February 10, 2015

2014 was a crazy busy year for me in many respects, all good, but finally I can see some light and am redirecting my energies back to the running world. I just returned from a quick trip to New Jersey, driving 6 hours in the snow. Not my favorite place to go but definitely a worthwhile trip. I attended a running conference featuring some of the top coaches and authors from the sport of running sharing their expertise. In my coaching of runners I want to be able to provide the best advice I can. I have a lot of practical experience myself and often look at myself as a human guinea pig and I've been to other conferences and certifications as well. I'm always looking for ways to better train my athletes. The Running Summit East had some great discussions on the best way to train whether you're an elite or a recreational runner. The speakers provided real data based on tons of research and got into topics like more effective training sessions including high intensity training, how to eat like an elite and the newest data on hydration. We also had a hands on application of the principles of efficient running which was a lot of fun getting to run and then analyze each other's running. My group really enjoyed ripping my running apart. This was followed up with a session of core sequences including yoga to maximize the full power of your body for better running.

Now I get to put these new techniques and practices to use with my running clients and with my own running.

2015 OUTLOOK AND SCHEDULE

British Columbia

I'm now starting to look forward to the 2015 racing season for myself. With no luck getting into Hardrock or UTMB I found an awesome race in British Columbia, The Fat Dog 120. A point to point race of 120 miles with over 28,000 feet of climbing in some of the most scenic areas of Canada. Noted as one of the toughest Ultra races in the world by Outside Magazine, it's BC's answer to Hardrock without all the hype. Sounds like my kind of race :)

Fat Dog 120

I'm also getting pressure from the better half to run the Javelina 100 in Arizona. It's a loop course of 15 miles, not my favorite but have never run this and it may be a group trip:) We'll see.